A gold watch belonging to John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, will be auctioned alongside other memorabilia from the tragic ship.
Astor was one of approximately 1,500 people who lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, when the ship struck an iceberg. Astor’s pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived the tragedy.
The watch is one of several notable items to be offered on Saturday by the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire, England. Other items for sale include the suitcase that contained the famous violin played by the orchestra’s leader as the ship sank and a portfolio documenting the Titanic’s planned voyages. The violin itself sold for $1.7 million through the same auction house in 2013 and is the best-selling Titanic-related item ever. According to Andrew Aldridge, CEO of Henry Aldridge & Son, the watch is expected to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000 ($125,000-$188,000), while the suitcase could fetch a price between £100,000 and £120,000 ($125,000-$150,000). Bidding begins April 27 at noon local time (7 a.m. ET), Aldridge told CNN.
According to the auction house, the watch was found with Astor’s body after the sinking of the Titanic. Other personal effects found included gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a wallet. After Astor’s body was recovered, the items were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who had the clock completely restored to working order. In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the infant son of William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s executive secretary, according to the auction house.
Aldridge told CNN that the Dobbyn family owned the watch until the late 1990s, when it was put up for auction.
An anonymous collector in the United States purchased the watch at that auction and is the current seller. It has since been exhibited in several museums.
Also offered at Saturday’s auction will be John Jacob Astor IV’s twins and the Titanic’s first-class accommodation plan. The twins are expected to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 ($6,250-$10,000) and the accommodation plan between £20,000 and £30,000 ($25,000-$37,500).
